Chapter 33: The Unforeseen Variable
My new empathic filter was a work in progress, a constant battle against the overflow of Myriad's future despair. The last surge of melancholy from Kara had been a stark reminder of my deepest fear: accidentally corrupting her hope. The Burden of Foresight felt heavier than ever, now compounded by the self-inflicted distress. Non's logistical disruptions were continuing, a small victory, but the chilling premonition of Myriad demanded constant, proactive vigilance.
"Alright, System," I muttered, watching the city through my monitors. "No more accidental emotional floods. And hopefully, no more unexpected messengers."
Famous last words.
The unforeseen variable arrived in the form of a scrawny, nervous young man named Kevin. Canonically, he was supposed to be a background extra, maybe a fleeting victim, nothing more. But in this timeline, a past, subtle Reality Warping ripple effect from one of my earlier interventions (perhaps the "dancing teacups" incident) had imbued him with a minor, completely random meta-ability: the power to momentarily cause any electronic device he touched to display highly personal, embarrassing secrets from random onlookers. It was useless for crime, catastrophic for social interaction.
I watched him try to order a coffee, only for the cafe's digital menu board to suddenly flash "BARISTA SECRETLY OWNS A COLLECTION OF VINTAGE SPONGEBOB MERCHANDISE." The barista, mortified, threw a damp cloth at him. Kevin fled, a terrified, apologetic look on his face.
"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "This is not an optimal development. This is a walking, talking, digital time bomb of social awkwardness. And he's somehow connected to a future Myriad logistical node." My profound frustration warred with a begrudging amusement at the sheer absurdity of it. My interventions weren't just creating chaos; they were spawning new, inconveniently weird elements into the timeline.
[UNFORESEEN VARIABLE DETECTED. NEW ABILITY: ELECTRONIC CONFESSION PROJECTION. POTENTIAL FOR UNWANTED ATTENTION. MITIGATION STRATEGY REQUIRED.]
This was a direct threat to my secrecy and a major complication for my Myriad preparations. Kevin, with his unwitting power, was drawing exactly the kind of unwanted attention that could lead the D.E.O. to a deeper understanding of my ripple effects, or worse, accidentally expose me. I needed to adapt, quickly and creatively.
[SKILL: REALITY WARPING (LVL 1). APPLICATION: ABILITY MODULATION (TEMPORARY). FOCUS: CONTAINMENT OF UNWANTED EFFECTS.]
I started by subtly modulating Kevin's power. Instead of personal secrets, I began to make the devices display increasingly niche, harmless, and utterly bizarre information: a list of the world's least popular dog breeds, the complete history of the spork, a recipe for invisible cake. This would dilute the immediate threat, making him seem less like a privacy nightmare and more like a harmless, if deeply strange, oddity.
Kara, always drawn to those in need, spotted Kevin later, sitting dejectedly on a park bench as a nearby phone booth listed "TOP TEN REASONS WHY SOCKS ARE BETTER THAN SHOES." She approached him, a look of compassionate understanding on her face. Through Cosmic Empathy, I felt her immediate recognition of a "glitch-like" aura around him, a sense that he was another manifestation of the strange, pervasive force shaping their city. She sat beside him, offering a comforting word. Her unwavering compassion shone through, reinforcing her role as my moral compass, even as she inadvertently walked into one of my messes.
Alex, however, was already on the case. D.E.O. monitors had flagged Kevin's strange energy signature, now subtly shifted to produce less threatening, but still unexplainable, effects. "This is another one of its manifestations," Alex stated to Henshaw, pointing at a map of reported "glitch" hotspots, where Kevin had been. "The 'Glitch' isn't just warping existing reality. It's creating new variables. New metahumans, perhaps. Ones directly linked to its previous interventions. This is a growing, unpredictable force, sir. One we need to contain. Before it creates something we can't control." Her voice was tight with mounting anxiety. This new unforeseen variable added another layer of urgency to her desperate pursuit of answers.
"Contain this, Alex," I thought, watching Kevin finally manage to order a coffee without causing a public scandal. "I'm the one trying to contain it, too. From a future that would break her. And now, from my own chaotic creations. The Unseen Architect is running on fumes, trying to keep all the spinning plates in the air." The stakes were higher now. Every intervention, every ripple, brought new complications. And Myriad was still looming.
Love [ Arrowverse: I m A Fifth Dimension Being ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story! 🌟
Dive deeper into the world of [ Arrowverse: I m A Fifth Dimension Being ] with exclusive access to 35+ chapters on my Patreon, plus 5 new chapters every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [Grimm, Teen Wolf ,MCU and Arrowverse].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!